Page 50 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Jacob’s snort of laughter returns my attention to him and I crack. We both laugh openly at Tiff and she joins us, her body sagging with relaxed amusement.

“Seriously, y’all, I’m going home.” She leans in and gives me a hug, whispering in my ear, “For fuck’s sake, would you just fuck him already?” She stands back up, pretending like she didn’t just voice what I’ve been thinking all day. She leans down and presses a kiss to Chloe’s crown before turning to Jacob with a smile. “The food was delicious. Thank you for a lovely dinner,” she adds graciously. “Even if I did feel like I was about to suffocate on the sexual tension.” Turning on her heel, she grabs her purse and keys and walks out the front door, leaving Jacob and me to suffocate on our tension in private.

“Do you want to sit out on the swing? It’s really nice out tonight.” I lay Chloe, still sleeping, in her crib and switch on her monitor. Pulling the handset off the base and flipping it on, Jacob and I creep out of the room quietly. After dinner, we gave her a bath and read her a few stories. She fell asleep to the sound of Jacob’s deep, smooth voice lulling her into dreamland.

“Sure,” he replies and slips his hand in mine. I grab a light throw blanket off the back of the couch in case the temperature drops too much and we get cold.

“Do you want a beer?”

“Yeah, I’ll take one.”

I reach into the bottom drawer of the fridge and pull out a few bottles to take with us. I’m still not much of a beer drinker, but I’m out of wine so it’ll have to do for now. Settling in on the swing, we each crack one open and take a few sips.

“I can’t believe how quiet it is out here,” Jacob voices in wonder.

“It’s pretty nice not having to deal with all the loud noises of the city.” Our house isn’t completely secluded, but our neighbors aren’t right on top of us and there’s at least half an acre separating us from the road. Add to that a line of pines bordering the side of our property and extending around the front, and we are fortunate enough to have a lot of privacy out here.

He wraps an arm around my shoulder and I snuggle into his side. “You’d hate my brownstone. It’s right in the middle of town and there’s constant noise coming from the street.”

“You have your own place?”

“Yeah, it’s only a five-minute walk to work. I love it.”

“Oh. I guess I just assumed you still lived with your parents. I don’t know why I thought that. Kinda silly of me.” Jacob chuckles, the sound reverberating in my chest. His laughter is rich and deep and oh, so sexy.

“Probably because that’s where I lived when we met. I could still live there if I wanted to. It’s not like they don’t have the room,” he jokes. “I just needed to get away from them. They can be...overbearing at times. My mom wants to be all up in my business all the time, and my dad tries to give me advice on how to live my life at every turn. He thinks that somehow because the great state of Virginia elected him to make decisions on its behalf, he gets to make decisions for my life, too.” He stops to take a swig of his beer, probably to ease the tension of thinking about his parents. “They mean well, but they drive me crazy. Unfortunately, I’ll probably have to put up with them this fall while my house is being renovated. I’ll be homeless for several weeks and really don’t want to stay at a hotel.”

“How’s your brother?” His brother Logan is several years younger than him. Last I heard about him, he was a star athlete with a stellar GPA.

“Logan is great. Amazing, actually. He’s so damn smart and talented on the football field, and he’s a much better student than I ever was. It just comes so easily for him. I hate to admit it, but I’m kinda jealous,” he adds with a laugh. “He has college scouts at almost every game. I can’t wait to see where he chooses to go.”

“That’s right, he’s a senior this year, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, and he’s giving my parents hell. They want him to stay close and go to school somewhere on the East Coast, while he wants to go far away like UCLA or Texas A & M. And they can’t hold it over his head that they’re paying for his education because they know he can get a full ride anywhere.” He brings his bottle to his lips and takes a long pull. I do the same before unfolding the blanket and laying it over my legs. The sun has already set and there’s a chill in the air.

“I’m glad he’s got the option to go where he wants. I can’t imagine having someone try to control my life like that. I may have had to work my ass off and hold down two jobs to get through college, but at least I got to go where I wanted and pursue the degree of my choice.”

“I wish I could’ve been there to see you graduate.” Jacob pulls me in closer and presses his lips to my temple. “I’m so proud of you. I never got the chance to tell you that, but you absolutely blow me away.”

His praise warms me and makes every hardship I’ve endured, every hour of working myself to death worth it. I don’t know why his praise means so much to me, but I find myself craving his approval, his admiration.

“Thank you.”

We rock back and forth, gently swinging as we finish our beers, the only sounds the creaking of the wooden swing, cicadas singing their nightly melody, and frogs croaking in the distance. “How do you feel about sharing that blanket?” Jacob asks. “It’s getting a little chilly out here.” I lift the throw and shake it out, shifting it over his lap and pulling the edges up to my chin, shivering as I cover my arms. “Is it too cold for you? Do you want to go inside?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him. “I love it out here at night. I’m not ready to go in just yet.”

“Okay.” He places his cool hand on my thigh. I jump at the sensation and suck in a breath as cold chills cover my skin. “Sorry,” he apologizes and removes his hand, thinking I don’t want it there.

“It’s okay. Your hand’s just freezing.” I bring his fingers to my mouth and blow warm air over them.

He studies my lips and grabs my chin, pulling my mouth toward his. His tongue finds mine and I return his kiss. The arm cradling my shoulders drops to wrap around my waist and he pulls my body closer to his. I let out a satisfied sigh when his fingers leave my face and tangle in my hair. He growls and kisses me harder, pulling me up so I have to stand on my knees.

His mouth moves to my throat, his hand holding me in place by the back of my neck. I reach out and grip his shirt, my fingers digging into his chest. “Abby,” he growls against my skin, so close I feel the vibration all the way to my core.

“Yes.” The word falls from my lips on a sigh. His hands go to my thighs and he pulls me into his lap, the tips of his finger gracing the edge of my panties and so, so close to where I need to be touched. It’s been so long, and Jacob makes my body sing with desire.

He pulls the blanket back up to my shoulders and tucks the edges behind his back to keep them in place. Even with the porch light off, there’s enough light from the moon and stars that, if someone came up the driveway, they’d be able to see us. With our bodies shielded, his hands find the hem of my shirt and lift it, exposing my stomach. He pops the button of my shorts and I press my thighs against the sides of his hips, trying to soothe the ache mounting between them. His thumb dips into the front of my panties and finds me slick and ready. He trails his thumb all the way back up and out, moisture from my arousal left in its wake.

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